When most people in the wider gaming community think of global gaming destinations, the United Kingdom isn’t typically one of the places that springs to mind.
They often think of places like Los Angeles or Las Vegas in the United States, Shanghai in China, Seoul in South Korea, or Tokyo in Japan.
However, the UK has a thriving gaming scene and is now home to some of the world’s biggest esports events and gaming conventions. With that said, here are five must-visit UK locations for avid gamers in 2025.
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What are the top five must-visit UK locations for gaming enthusiasts in 2025?
If you consider yourself a bit of a gaming enthusiast and either live in the United Kingdom or plan on visiting here and checking out what the gaming scene has to offer, then you may want to consider heading to one or more of these top five must-visit UK locations:
- London
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Cardiff
- York
Other UK locations that are also considered gaming hubs for various reasons are Brighton, Leamington Spa, Bristol, Edinburgh, and Guildford. That’s not forgetting to mention Leeds, Oxford, Liverpool, Slough, Sheffield, and Cambridge.
These UK locations have thriving gaming scenes both online and offline. Some of the most popular video game genres currently being played in the UK are action and adventure, battle royale, FPS (first-person shooter), sports games, and RPGs (role-playing games).
Mobile gaming and eSports are both on the rise, and more people than ever aged 18 or above enjoy playing slots online on a handful of world-class iGaming sites licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.
Why are these must-visit UK locations ideal for avid gaming enthusiasts?
Here are some of the main reasons why these specific UK cities are often considered ideal must-visit locations for avid gamers. London, for example, is Europe’s biggest gaming hub.
It’s a game development centre and home to some of Europe’s biggest and most successful studios. Some of the eSports sector’s biggest video game tournaments occur here, attracting many of the world’s most successful eSports teams and huge crowds.
People also come here to attend gaming expos, such as the London Games Festival and EXG London. Events like this attract everyone, from trade specialists to consumers.
This year’s festival opened on April 2 and will finish on the 13th, and some of the main events you can look forward to here are the Trafalgar Square Games Festival, Screen Play, the Games Finance Market, New Game Plus, Now Play This, and the BAFTA Games Awards.
Some of the other must-visit locations in London for gamers are a game-like attraction called The London Bridge Experience, a live, interactive game show experience called The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience London, and Mission: Breakout – The Escape Room, one of the UK’s best escape room venues.
Gamers can also find interactive, multiplayer experiences at Southbank with the Immersive Gamebox experience.
Similar events and expos also take place in many of the other must-visit UK gaming locations mentioned above. You may also want to check out the National Videogame Museum in Nottingham.
York and Cardiff also both have vibrant gaming scenes with a variety of fun-filled gaming events to suit all types of gamers. If you love the post-apocalyptic zombie genre, then don’t forget to check out the Zombie Survival Experience in Reading, England.
Final thoughts
There’s so much to see and do in the United Kingdom if you are a gamer, but before heading to any of these destinations, go online and see what’s happening because some of these events are held annually at specific times of the year. Similarly, other gaming events and venues may close during the winter season and only open in the summer months.